Lesson 259: "Small is not Inferior"
The majority of church congregations throughout the world today are what we might call “small”; described as having less than 100 in attendance and many less than 50. God is as well pleased with His little flocks as He is His mega-churches. The focus should not be on the size of the building or the number of members but rather the soul winning efforts and scripture-based attempts to contribute to the expansion of the Kingdom of God. “Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32). “He will bless those who fear the Lord; small and great alike” (Psalm 115:13). “God does not show favoritism” (Acts 10:34-35). God was not showing favoritism when He distributed the land according to size but “proportioned” according to ancestral tribal members (Numbers 33:54). The small gate is the one we must go through to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 7:14); the widow gave just a small amount according to what many rich people threw in but to Jesus it was no way inferior because He saw that she “gave all” (Mark 12:41-44). The Lord told Samuel not to consider the height of Eliab since it is not outward appearances that count to God. When David, the youngest and smallest of Jesse’s sons, was presented to Samuel, the Lord said; “rise and anoint him; he is the one” (1 Sam. 16:1-12).
It is the small matters that counted to Jesus in the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:17) and in the parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16:10). Jesus’ call to the saints and shepherds of the small flocks is the same as His call to the mega-flocks. Remain trustworthy in what He gives you; preach the Word; strive to win souls; care diligently for the few or for the many God gives you and you will hear “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:23)! Jesus had a special love for the little children and warned that anyone who caused a little one to sin might as well have a mill-stone around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea (Matt. 18:1-6). He added that “their” angels in heaven always looked upon the face of His Father (Matt. 18:10). Unless we change and become like these little ones that Jesus loved we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 18:3). Instead of wishing “big” perhaps we should humble “small” and take care of the ones in our community who need to know Jesus or come back to Jesus by repentance. This in no way states that we should not strive to improve the number of our congregation, but do it for the lost souls and not to be recognized for our size.
As his name would suggest, the Apostle Paul was small of stature and build. This small man wrote 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament. “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing” (2 Cor. 10:10). Paul was quoting what people were saying about him but did not stop his bare fisted preaching and in no way do his messages ever appear inferior.
When King David died, his son Solomon became heir to the throne. “O, Lord, my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties” (1 Kings 3:7). God made this “little child” the greatest of the kings and added to this promise, riches and honor and a long life. “God gave Solomon wisdom and a very great insight and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the sea shore” (1 Kings 4:29). And if this was not enough for the little king, God granted him the honor of building the Temple of God (1 Kings 6:1-38). God raised up another great man in 1st Kings by the name of Elijah. He prophesied no rain in the land and when this came to pass, God sent Elijah to a widow for food and water. She told him she had only a handful of flour and a little oil. Following the will of “Elijah’s God” and giving her last meal to the prophet, she and Elijah and her family ate their fill every day and the supplies were not used up (1 Kings 17:1-16). “Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice” (Prov. 16:8).
Jesus Christ our Lord came to earth as a little bitty baby and just look at Him now! King of kings! Lord of lords! The First and the Last! The Alpha and the Omega! He is the only one worthy of opening the scroll which will be the beginning of the ending of the earth as we know it. Revelation is the only book of its kind in the New Testament and was dictated to the apostle John, by Jesus Christ. Jesus gave John a vision of what would happen in the future and John wrote it all down so Christians, great and small, would trust that God controls whatever happens here on earth. John’s vision shows that Jesus is the Ruler over everyone and everything and He will judge and punish whatever is evil. REMINDER: Christ knows the difference between a church body who seeks His fellowship and a church body who seeks large membership!